RSI Executive Search Firm Company Newsletter, September 2007

This Month in the RSI Newsletter» What Qualifies as a "Good" Job Advertisement?

What Qualifies as a "Good" Job Advertisement?

Writing a job posting that attracts top-talent for
your industry can be daunting, to say the least.
Even the most seasoned Human Resources Manager is
strained to write an engaging job advertisement that
not only lists the responsibilities of the position,
but elicits a sincere interest from a well-qualified
candidate. Twenty First Century, job seekers are
not only interested in what a position pays (though
that is still a mitigating factor), they're sizing
you up to your competitor.

Company culture, benefits (especially medical insurance),
growth opportunities, a company's ethics, and flexibility
are just a few of the key features a candidate looks
at when considering applying for employment with
an organization. As competition for talent grows
ever-increasing among employers, benefits such as
those mentioned above are not only important to for
companies to offer their employees, but they become
critical factors when looking to hire employees.
And, if your organization is like most, you're not
only looking to hire an employee, you want to hire
an exceptional employee.

Continued...

So once a company has gone to the effort to implement
enticing benefits to encourage "rock star" applicants
to consider employment with their company, what then?
Should companies sit back and anticipate a flood of
phenomenal resumes, all so perfect that they are unsure
of whom they will chose? Unless you're Google, don't
count on it. Most companies are relegated to employing
the use of job boards and print advertising to garner
interest in their organization.

How then can a company stand out among the sea of
job postings on the likes of Career Builder and Monster
and gain interest from the highly sought-after candidates
before their competition? For starters, an excellent
job posting-not only does it do a good job at gaining
intrigue on behalf of the candidate, it also posits
your organization to reap the benefits of a great job
posting versus a mediocre one based upon the caliber
of candidates who apply.

Continued...

The primary difference between a great job posting,
and, let's face it, a boring one is the level of creativity
used in communicating the requirements, qualifications
and benefits of the job. Just as candidates work to
separate themselves from the rest of the crowd, so
too should employers.

When writing a job posting, it is important to keep
in mind that aside from working to write an alluring
ad, it should also be succinct. Most candidates are
not interested in reading a literary masterpiece, they're
only concerned with identifying (quickly) whether or
not they have the qualifications for the position and
if the company sounds like an environment where they
would like to work.

Ultimately, when writing a job posting, employers
should work to keep it simple, use bullet points, sell
the organization, be engaging, capture the essentials
of the position, clearly state the available benefits,
and ensure that contact information is listed. Taking
the time to write a solid job advertisement, though
somewhat time consuming, is worth the effort when your
company is looking to attract the right candidates.